Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members, members of the transport family led by the director-general, I greet you all.
Every year more than 1,7 million people die in road accidents around the world. About 70% of these deaths occur in the developing countries. It is estimated that developing countries lose in the region of US$1 billion every year to road accidents. This is almost twice as much as the total development assistance received worldwide by developing countries. These are the resources that no country can afford to lose. Unfortunately, these losses inhibit the economic and social development of the developing countries.
About 14 000 people are killed yearly due to road accidents in South Africa. This costs the country more than R40 billion annually. This becomes a burden to the Road Accident Fund, which has a huge backlog of claims due to the legal processes they have to go through. These billions could be invested in areas where there is no infrastructure development. Pedestrians also account for 50% of road accidents in the country.
Available evidence suggests that the primary risk group - as far as road infringements are concerned - are men between 18 and 45 years of age. Included in this group is the high level of public transport and heavy- vehicle crashes, as well as noncompliance with driving permits in these categories. Other primary contributory factors include, but are not limited to, the state of our roads in rural areas, driving while intoxicated, speeding and losing control of the vehicle, vehicle condition, driver and vehicle legality, fraud and corruption.
In addition, weekends, from Fridays to Sundays, are identified as the most dangerous days of the week. Rush hour in the mornings and between 5am and 10pm are when drunk driving plays a large part and these are the most dangerous times to be on the road.
The vehicle population on the country's roads is increasing every year and inexperienced drivers are also increasing. While the production numbers are on the increase, drivers' attitudes do not improve. In most cases, motorists fail to comply with the rules of the road. There is also a need for a probation period for new driver-licence holders, because they are also a contributing factor to road accidents, either directly or indirectly. Hon Minister, as a country we have advanced in terms of technology. Aeroplanes are fitted with black boxes that assist investigators with information about what really happened before the crash. Why can't we have a similar instrument fitted in a car, which will record traffic violations by drivers? The information could be retrieved every time a person renews his or her vehicle and driver's licence, because some people get away with murder on the country's roads.
It is against this backdrop that the Road Traffic Management Corporation was established. In addition to responding to the aforementioned challenges, the RTMC was aimed at pooling powers and resources, as well as at eliminating the fragmentation of responsibilities for all aspects of road traffic management across various levels of government.
Allow me to give a brief history of where the RTMC was before the acting chief executive officer, Collins Letsoalo, was thrown into the deep end to save this entity, which did not have a strategic focus and which had a disclaimer attached to its name. Some people were even advocating for the RTMC to be written off, but because Mr Collins Letsoalo and his team knew their story, they kept their cool and made sure that this entity got out of the intensive care unit. The Minister and the department's intervention forged the way forward with a very good turnaround strategy for the RTMC.
Though there is great improvement in the RTMC, serious attention must be paid to the amendment of the Land Traffic Act. This will not only ensure the total implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act but also that the Road Traffic Infringement Agency will be able to execute its constitutional mandate, which is ensuring that road infringement offences are complied with. The portfolio committee supports these entities. They must be given the necessary resources and support to do what is expected of them. [Applause.]
The RTMC achieved the following: the successful implementation of the Enterprise Resource Planning system; the formation of the national traffic police; the reduction of irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure to zero; the establishment of an external audit risk management committee; a 5% reduction in road fatalities for the period 2011 to 2012, with 1 475 deaths compared to the 1 551 during the 2010 to 2011 festive season nationally; an 11% decrease in the Easter weekend of 2012, with statistics showing that 181 fatal crashes were reported against 296 for the 2011 Easter period; the acceptance of the RTMC as a member of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration; and the finalisation of disciplinary matters within the RTMC.
South Africa is an affiliate of the Union Internationale des Chauffeurs Routiers, an international body for professional drivers, which co- ordinates and represents the interests of professional drivers worldwide. The UICR also hosts the World Professional Drivers' Championship, which South Africa also participated in, in 2010. At the championship in 2010, South Africa was awarded the responsibility of hosting the 2012 world championship. This accolade was accepted by the South African embassy in Austria on behalf of the Minister of Transport, and since then the plan has been approved by the Department of Transport.
As the custodian of the drivers of the year project, the RTMC is responsible for the logistical arrangements, involving the hosting of the world championship in 2012. It is the responsibility of the RTMC, supported by the Department of Transport, to ensure the readiness of South Africa to successfully host the world championship. The Portfolio Committee on Transport fully supports the RTMC and recommends that the agency be given the necessary resources for it to be able to fully execute its constitutional mandate.
Ndvuna lehloniphekile, umntfwanakho utsi angahlanganisa iminyaka lengema- 21, bese umniketa sikhiya. Loko kukhombisa kutsi lomntfwana sewukhulile futsi sekangakhona kutimela yena. Njengemtali-ke ulindzela nome ngabe yini lengenteka. Kungenteka ube namakoti nome ube nemkhwenyana. Ngaleso sizatfu- ke, Ndvuna, sifuna kusho kutsi Lolubambiswano Lwekuphatfwa Kwetimoto Temgwaco, LLKT, [Road Traffic Management Corporation, RTMC,] selufike kuleso sigaba. Ngako-ke sale luniketwa loko lokulufanele kute lutewukhona kutentela imisebenti yalo ngalokukhulu kutetsemba. (Translation of Siswati paragraph follows.)
[Hon Minister, when your child turns 21 years of age, you give him a key. It indicates that the child has come of age and is independent. As a parent, you therefore expect anything to happen. You may have a daughter-in- law or a son-in-law. It is for that reason, Minister, that we would like to say that the RTMC has reached that stage, of being independent. Let it therefore be granted the appropriate authority to perform its duties with great confidence.]
The Cross-Border Road Traffic Agency used to be an ailing child, but as the portfolio committee and the Department of Transport we allowed and gave the CEO, Mr Khumalo, and his team enough space and time to restructure and implement the turnaround strategy, which was a very good one. The portfolio committee supports this entity and recommends that it be given the necessary resources to execute its constitutional mandate.
The new National Rolling Traffic Law-Enforcement Plan is another tool inaugurated on 1 October 2010. It enables law-enforcement officers to stop and check no less than one million vehicles every month. The NRTLEP is a case in point in that in 10 months, from 1 October 2010 to 31 August 2011, 12 984 120 vehicles were stopped and checked; 5 540 275 fines were issued for various traffic offences; 18 527 drunk drivers were arrested; and the use of 50 272 unroadworthy vehicles, the majority of which were buses and taxis, was discontinued. I support the budget. [Time expired.] [Applause.]